The general idea or concept of attempting to automate the construction of a building by use of an automated or semi-automated device such as a programmable robot is known and is the subject of numerous prior patents and patent applications. Examples of such patents and patent applications include U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,914 (Lowen), U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,451 (Taylor-Smith) and DE 19600006 (Bachau), U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,923 (Melan), WO 2004/083540 (Steenberg) and EP 836664 (Markel).
The above documents show various aspects of known automated or robotic brick laying methods and apparatus. Some documents concentrate on specific structure of a mechanism for gripping a brick. Other documents relate to building brick structures on a wall by wall basis either in situ or offsite to be transported to a location where a building is to be constructed.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.
In the claims of this application and in the description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the words “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.
Throughout this specification the term “brick” is intended to denote any type of brick or block from which a building can be constructed. Typically this will include masonry, concrete or mud bricks or blocks from which a building or similar structure can be constructed. However the specific material from which the brick or block is made is not critical to the present invention and embodiments of the invention may be applied to bricks or blocks made from other materials such as refractory materials, plastics materials or wood.
Throughout this specification the term “adhesive” is used to denote any compound, mixture, chemical, or settable material that is, or can be, used to adhere two or more bricks as hereinabove defined together. When the bricks are masonry bricks, typically the adhesive will be mortar.